Hitting in the middle of Lincoln-Way East’s lineup, sophomore infielder/pitcher Casey Mikrut feels he has a pretty good idea before each game of how he’s going to do that day.
If Mikrut doubts himself in his first varsity season, the hits likely won’t come. But when he’s his own biggest believer, good things happen.
“A big part is confidence,” Mikrut said. “Just going into games, I can feel when I have confidence. When I don’t, it’s an off day, but when I do, every time, it’s a great day for me and a great day for the team.”
Wednesday certainly fell into the latter category for Mikrut and the Griffins. Mikrut went 3-for-3 with two RBIs and two runs and host Lincoln-Way East rolled to a 10-0 five-inning win over Providence in Frankfort.
Tyler Osmanski pitched 4 1/3 shutout innings, striking out three while working around four hits and five walks, to earn the win for the Griffins (17-4). Tyler Hudik went 2-for-3 with a double and three RBIs, while Jake Newman finished 2-for-3 with two doubles and two RBIs.
Bryce Tencza was 2-for-2 with two doubles for Providence (15-7), while Eddie Olszta singled and drew two walks.
Mikrut, meanwhile, stayed hot in the cleanup spot for Lincoln-Way East. He’s now hitting .371 with 18 runs, 13 stolen bases and 17 RBIs.
And those days where he’s not feeling confident are getting fewer and far between.
“My confidence has gone up a pretty good amount,” Mikrut said. “I don’t want to get too confident and get out of my body. I have to know who I am because I can’t do it all, but as the season has gone on, I’ve started to know who I am.”
Mikrut lined two singles up the middle and another to right field. That’s just business as usual for the varsity rookie, according to Newman.
“Every pitch he gets, basically, he hits a line drive back up the middle,” Newman said of Mikrut. “It’s like automatic for him. He’s an amazing hitter.”
Newman also has started to get going at the plate after a slow start to the season. His two-run double in the third inning helped the Griffins break open the game.
“I’m starting to get in a groove now hitting and I’m feeling a lot more confident,” Newman said. “I’ve got to give a lot of credit to my coaches. They helped me work through that and helped me get out of that slump.”
Lincoln-Way East scored six runs in the third inning and four in the fourth, taking full advantage of three costly Providence errors.
Osmanski, a sophomore right-hander, thrived on the mound against the defending Class 4A state champions. And Lincoln-Way East coach John McCarthy loved it.
“Providence is a very talented and well-coached ball club, so to see Tyler come out and put up zeroes was really energizing for the group,” McCarthy said.
After his big day at the plate, Mikrut moved to the mound to record the final two outs. He’s enjoying a dual role this season, earning some chances to pitch in relief.
“I didn’t pitch at all last season and I kind of missed it,” Mikrut said. “I worked on it a lot over the offseason and I think it paid off in the preseason, showing what I could do.
“I like coming in at the end of games and shutting teams down.”
Whether it’s pitching or hitting, Mikrut has decided to attack relentlessly.
Some of that may be due to his football experience. He played on the junior varsity team last fall before being brought up to the varsity for the playoffs.
“I think it’s great to go along with baseball,” Mikrut said. “You get toughness and all the things that come with football. It teaches you to be a great teammate.”
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